"I'll laugh until my head comes off"
- KID A
- AMNESIAC
It's an alternative rock guitar album. But, unlike many other
alternative rock groups at that time, who released one album that no-one ever
heard and disappeared, Radiohead were pretty serious about their future at the
beginning and began their career with a huge hit called "Creep". Actually, before
"Creep" they have released their Drill EP (which I've never heard) - one of
their five or something EPs... Hope they'll release them all boxed someday,
becasuse I want to listen to these EP tracks. And, speaking of "Creep", it's
a great song. Good catchy melody, clever lyrics and everything. Radiohead members
hate it, because everybody thinks its' their trademark song and just don't get
anything like "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors". In fact, the song shows overall sound
of Pablo Honey - lotsa electric guitars, somewhat fat bass and small but good
drums. Plus, Thom Yorke who does not sing like Thom Yorke you know from Amnesiac
and stuff. In 1993 he was just an ordinary Brit-pop vocalist with huge Bono
influence (I'm talking about early Bono, like the guy who made stuff like Boy
rule and not the man who made stuff like Zooropa comatose). No screams from
Thom here, no singing of something gibberish - singing is pretty normal.
"Creep" is an excellent sog ("sog"? Gee, funny typo). Don't miss some other
good numbers. "Thinking About You" is amazing with great acoustic guitar and
somewhat sad singing from Thom. "Stop Whispering" is their first epic, clocking
at 5:25, and it's a good epic, with memorable vocal hook in chorus ("Stop whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiispeeeeeeering")
and the faster part of the song has a lot of rocking guitar behind. Speaking
about guitar, "Anyone Can Play Guitar" does not sound like Radiohead you know
or Radiohead circa Pablo Honey at all. It sounds like an extremely funny pop-punk
song with catchy guitars and stupid Thom Yorke tone (the way he sings that "I
wanna be wanna be Jim Morrison" line is hilarious). It IS a funny pop-punk song.
And it rules.
Unfortunately, apart from all abovementioned songs, the other stuff kinda disappoints
me. The opening "You" is kinds dull, "How Do You" is simply awful (the worst
song Radiohead ever released) and the entire second side is pretty unmemorable
and just doesn't have too much melodies. In fact, I feel that all of these songs
are numerous re-writes of the same tune. For instance, can you distinguish "I
Can't" from "Vegetable"? Or "Lurgee" from "Blow Out"? The only one different
tune of all them is simple, small and terribly boring "Prove Yourself" that
is only memobrable because it has Radiohead members singing completely dorky
back vocals. Good thing that they would eventually understood that the only
thing they need is Thom Yorke alone.
OK, so the second sde is kinda dumb. But the first one rule! Close your eyes
on "How Do You" and you might get something. And, anyway, the album's got "Creep"
on it! And a happy stupid cover art! Still, don't buy it if you heard "Creep"
more than ten times on radio. You've heard it all.
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Two years have passed after the release of Pablo Honey and
the band released this baby. Pretty cool. You know, jumping right from stupid
alternative rock to some serious, interesting pop/rock stuff with a lot of Pink
Floyd favour. And it's all it less the two years! Cool! It's not the same thing
as The Beatles eveolution (who wrote "Tomorrow Never Knows" three years after
they have recorded their debut with songs like "A Taste Of Honey"), but it's
very cool anyway. I mean, could someone in 1995 imagine that the one-hit wonder
would begin to write multi-part songs, bring keyboards into the overall sound
of their new album and fuck every critic who said U2's 1993 album was better
than Pablo Honey (in case if you don't know, U2's 1993 album SUCKS 31 FLAVOURS
OF COCK!!!)? Nobody. And that progress of the band ALONE makes this one a 12
points albums. All of the songs suck, but the overall progress is amazing!
OK, there ARE some nice songs. lots of them, actually. My favourites are "Planet
Telex" and "Fake Plastic Trees". The former is the opener and it's a perfect
way to open the album. Guitars rock, Thom Yorke wails, melody is great and piece
of crap doesn't smell that bad for you while you're listening to "Planet Telex".
Oh, and "Fake Plastic Trees" is a great song too, a ballad that is gorgeousbeyondwords
and has the best vocal perfomance from Mr. THom YorkE (what's wrong with ordinary
Tom Yorke?) for miles around. Quite possibly my favourite Radiohead ballad ever,
by the way.
Speaking about ballads, they rule all the way through the album. "High And Dry"
has an awesome calm melody, even better chorus and it is just a pretty song.
"(Nice Dream)" (or "", if you want) has some cello and Thom putting these "niiiiiiiiiice
deeeeeeeaaaaaaam"'s everywhere. I love this song. And "Sulk" has a lot of charm.
Good thing, but where the hell is the actual melody? I can't remember how the
song goes even after listening to this album for 3 times in a row. Or, and there's
yet another unmemorable song - "Black Sea"... And "Bullet Proof... I Wish I
Was", that I didn't want to mention, but... Well, it's just a big piece of boring
shit with Thom who really overdoes himself and wails like the day of recording
was the last day of his life.
As for, non-ballads, "Just (Do It To Yourself)" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"
are clearly the best of them all. The first one is a multi-part suite that KICKS
ASS. I mean, it ROCKS. There's Johnny Greenwood in this song who plays guitar
solos that are the holy beginnings of "Paranois Android"! And "Street Spitit"
has just one repeating guitar attack with a lot of instruments on the background
and cool Thom Yorke tone. Oh, this song rules so much, you know. It really could
make a place on OK Computer if it wan't released in 1995.
Other songs? Well, "My Iron Lung" is overall a nice song but it is completely
ruined with that AWFUL nu-metal part. Even that great guitar solo does not help
at all. "Bones" and the title track are both heavy alternative rockers, nothing
offensive, but what's the point of including them on the record? I dunno, go
ask Colin Greenwood. Why him? Look at any of the band's shots! He looks like
your average alternative rock guy. He might like "Bones" a lot, I think.
OK, so now it's all about the album. Songs that rule are AMAZING. Songs that
suck are AWFUL. Songs that are mediocre are UNCOOL. Oh, and a lot of progress
of the whole band that LEADS US STRAIGHT OT THE NEXT ALBUM. Got it? Go buy The
Bends now.
Now.
I said "now".
(Anyone who doesn't own The Bends and read this line is an awfully stupid man
who doesn't want ot buy a damn good album.)
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You know, I'm a big fan of giving 15 to all kinds of albums,
because I think there are a lot of albums in the world that deserve this mark.
OK Computer surely deserves it. I, actually, wanted to give it a 14, but after
a pair of listenings decided that 15 would be better. I also wanted to write
a long and boring review (check out my The Final Cut review for example), but
the world already has long and NOT boring review of this albums on Galpy's site
which I more or less concur with.
The greatest thing about this album is that it has a great mix of extremely
well-written melody and geniue atmospherics that make you want to listen to
OK Computer again and again. Sounds familiar? Yeah, how much I hate to compare
Radiohead to Pink Floyd, let's face the fact: OK Computer is Dark Side Of The
Moon of 90's. It shows in everything: from great songwriting right to the level
of atmosphere of the album. None of these songs sound like Pink Floyd, they
just come close to Floyd. It's darn hard to explain, you know. The thing is:
I, like many people conside to be this baby a new DSOTM. NOT a clone, though
- OK Computer has enough of its' own personality. It sounds like no other album
and there's no chance that you'd mistake some of these songs with others.
The album is also technically perfect. Everything fits with everything, playing
was recorded after a thousands of takes and the whole album was produced, recorded
and mixed on the level Fab Four could be proud with. It all has culminated in
everyone's favourite "Paranoid Android". Check out that part of the song that
begins with line "Ambition makes you look pretty ugly". All these guitar blasts
in there, bass loops - everything's perfect and everything works! And I can't
forget about all other parts of the song: the one that has a great, Georgian-sounding
back vocals and the one that has most of the rocking power behind it. Not to
mention all of the three parts of the song are awesome.
The other proof of technical power of this album is "Let Down". I just love
the way it is mixed. Some instruments appear in one headphone, disappear and
then appear in others. Thom voice sounds so far and so close at the same time.
The guy sings something absolutely gibberish, by the way. The only thing I can
understand is "Let dooooooooooown" in choruses. It really makes the song that
has one the weakest melody on this album...
...But either has "No Surprises" - the song which melody is a re-write of "Let
Down" one. And it doesn't have any special sound effects in it. But the song
is one of the best on here, because of its' perfomance. Sleepy glockenspiel,
sleepy guitar, sleepy Thom's yorke and sleepy verses - it all leads us to the
choruses that wake up all of us anyway. And these lyrics... "The job that slowly
kills you". Man, these lyrics just fit with music. It really makes me believe
that people who lead ordinary, "grey" life day by day, people that just work
on some shitty work and earn enough money to feed themselves and don't pretend
to be someone more than they are, are doomed. They just live their life with
"no alarms and no surprises".
In the song called "Subterranean Homesick Alien" we meet the guy who lives this
"grey" life, but he wants to be taken away by... aliens. It's hard to tell what
Thom exactly wants to describe: a visions of paranoid or the man who just pray
to be taken away from his ordinary life. But this guy is pretty sure that aliens
exist ("High up above, aliens' hover makes movies..."). All of these lyrics
are accompained by a pair of Floyd-ish synth and guitars that all play one of
the best melodies on here. My fave moment of this song is chorus. The way Thom
screams "UPSIDE! UPSIDE!" was just made for me.
However, enough aliens. There are songs that devoted to a saint theme for Thom
Yorke - fear of cars and everything that is related to them. These are the opener
("Airbag") and the closer ("The Tourist"). The former is a guitar-driven song
with fantastic drums and mellotrons all along the song and extremely catchy
vocal melody, especially in the verses where Thom weeps just one line ("In inerstelaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
buuuuuuuuurst I'm back to saaaaaaaaaave the uuuuuuuuuuuuniverse"), but it works!
"The Tourist" is a Johnny Greenwood's masterpiece. Slow, strange melody leads
us just right to the choruses when everything is focused on vocal melody. It
is just amazing. And I love the way Thom sings it. All of these "Sloooooooow
doooooown" give me a feeling of inavitable death.
If you think that I and OK Computer are getting to weird and dark with the last
sentence, here is "Lucky" for you - lyrically, the most hopefull song Radiohead
ever written. But only lyrically, 'cause musically it is a dark song with simply
amazing melody and really frightening guitar solo. But, "Today's gonna be a
glorious day", isn't it?
If you really want something relaxing, listen to "fitter happier". It is two
minutes of Simpletext guy speaking some Thom Yorke text with some noodling at
the background. It is not bad by any means, but it's a total filler, it doesn't
even work as some kind of "interlude". Still, it's the only really optimistic
"song" on the whole album.
And if you really want something pessimistic, stick to "Exit Music (For A Film)".
The fact that it was written specially to close Romeo & Juilet movie already
makes it dramatic. I hope you all remember how the story ends, right? And this
song brings feeling that everything is doomed, not only Romeo's and Juliet's
lives. Thom hopeless voice set right to acoustic guitar that slowly grows into
something more. The song is so emotional, so real that I can't even imagine
how someone can say that the song is "bombastic" or "overblown".
"Karma Police" can be considered as serious song, but, as Radiohead guys say,
the song is just a joke. It has some nonsense lyrics about some "karma police"
that arrest people just because they try to fight with their own fate. Musically,
it is absolutely piano-dominated with melody all built on some simple piano
chords here and there. In fact, there's a moment when Thom sings with just his
piano playing (that "this is what you'll get... IF YOU MESS WITH US" line).
And the last part of the song (with Thom singing "I LOST MYSLEF! I LOST MYSELF!"
in the way that makes me lose all doubts that the song isn't a joke) is one
of the best moment on the whole album.
"Electioneering" is the only song on here that does not deal with human's feelings
in some way. It is a political song, and a great one. Johnny came up with the
best Radiohead guitar riff ever that is catchy, powerfull and interesting. And
the entire melody is simply awesome. Or "simple and awesome". I can name a lot
of melodies that are simple and awesome, but this stays in top twenty of them
all for sure.
And now there's "Climbing Up The Walls" - the only song I haven't mentioned
yet. That's because this is the only song on the album (bar "fitter happier",
of course) that I'm not very fond of. It is not bad at all, it's just good and
that's the shame to be "good" between ten "great" songs. But, still, the song
is good with cool drumwork and even more cooler vocal hook in the chorus (Thom
SCREAMS "Climbing up the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalls") and can't be considered
filler after all.
That's all. I told you everything I think about twelve songs on here. And now
I must say that OK Computer fucking rules. If you haven't got it yet, be sure
to get it right now.
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After three years after release of OK Computer, Radiohead
released THIS. THIS is called Kid A, and it's Radiohead guys who play electronica.
Well, some tracks may sound like Radiohead of the past mixed with some modern
electronica things, but, overall, Kid A sound NOTHING like OK Computer, absolutely
NOTHING like The Bends and it makes Pablo Honey be the album made by completely
different band. But, many people all over the world find the album to be "cool"
and even "great". As for me, I'd better give it a 10 out of 15.
Why? Well, because of FOUR SONGS THAT COMPLETELY RUIN THE ALBUM. Yes, you've
heard right. Out of ten numbers of here, four suck everything that they can
suck. Let's begin with the leaset offensive of all, "In Limbo". Can you remember
A SINGLE note from it? Can you? I can't. And that's why it sucks. The song that
makes no sense and can't be remembered after hundred of listens usually suck,
doesn't it?
Other three songs... Well, they just suck. SUCK SUCK SUCK SUCK SUCK SUCK. And
suck. The title track is a five minutes of stupid electronica drum beats with
some strange voice reading some hardly understandable text. It's stupid. Awfully
stupid. "Treefingers" (for some reason, favourie track from the album of our
webmaster, Ben Kramer) sucks even more. Imagine three minutes of boring ambient
piece that doesn't even change at all. It is not even atmospheric. What were
the guys thinking about? They are not Brian Eno, after all! But the most sucking
of them all is "Motion Picture Soundtrack". It is seven minutes long and it
doesn't do anything for me. Anything. Plus, it has no melody, no interesting
hooks, no key changes, and it's got the big PAUSE between the actual song and
something "worthy" of "Treefingers"... Must be the worst song that they have
ever recorded. Ever.
There are also three songs that aren't bad, just pretty uninteresting. "Optimistic"
is a good song, and it's surely nice to hear Thom screaming "You can tryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
the best you can" with that cool guitar at the background, but it is boring
for its' five minutes. "Morning Bell" is a good song too with interesting drumwork,
but, first of all, it is, once again, very boring and, second, I can take Amnesiac
version of this song over this one every day. Finally, we got "Idioteque" -
a very funny song with dancey drum machine and Thom telling us something about
"women and children first and children fiiiiirst and childreeeen...". But it
is BORING. BORING BORING BORING BORING BORING BORING. Give me three mintes of
"Idioteque" and it would rule. Five minutes? No, thank you.
However bad some tracks on this album can be and however boring the other tracks
are, three songs are masterpieces. The opener, "Everything In Its Right Place",
begins with slow electronic piano chords and Thom voice recorded backwards.
Then it goes into a groovy electronica composition with something that reminds
me of "Let Down" from OK Computer and Thom begins to sing in a raggae style.
Awesome.
"The National Anthem" begins like just a song to dance to, with its' modern-sounding
drums and catchy bassline (quite possibly the best Radiohead ever had). Thom
Yorke also adds this feeling with his discoteque scream of "it's goin' ooooooooon!"
But then the atonal jazz improvisation goes into and everyone who would dance
while it's playing, can consider themselves a paranoid. But these horns are
really great.
Now let me tell you the story. I bought Kid A in one sunny summer day in Kazan,
the capital of Tatarstan. I put it into my portative CD-player and walked around
the city. But when the track #4 came, I just stopped and stared for all six
minutes of the song and stared for about ten minutes after it has ended. These
strange synth lines, melancholic voice of Thom singing "I'm not here, this isn't
happening" worked perfectly in a sunny afternoon with a lot of people going
nowhere and shitloads of cars riding nearby. The track #4 is called "How To
Disappear Completely", and it's masterpiece. You may think I'm crazy, but I
consider the song to be a masterpiece after that moment in my lifetime.
OK, so that's all about this album. What can I say else? It's got a weird but
a cool cover. Go buy it for this cover. Put it on your wall in the golden frame
and throw away your CD. Just kidding, of course - you can buy it for this music,
there are some chances that you would like it. Or go and buy it because of "How
To Disappear Completely".
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During the sessions for Kid A, Radiohead recorded enough material
for a double album, but since everyone in the band were against releasing the
double albums, they decided to release the album separately. So Amnesiac continues
Radiohead's experiments with electronica, techno, ambient and all other kinds
of that crap. But I must be the only one man in the universe who rate this one
higher than the band's previous effort. Why?
Well, let's remember what we had on Kid A. Three great songs, three so-so songs
and four sucking songs. Plus, the songs that suck went on forever. Here, on
Amnesiac, there are nine songs that I can listen without puking at the moment
and only two of all of these songs suck. And one of them is only two minutes
long! Oh, and I'm adding extra point for an overall sound of the album. It is
mystical and a little bit scary. Listen to "Pyramid Song" or "Life In A Glass
House" and tell me if I'm wrong.
OK, so the album opens with a cool song called "Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd
Tin Box" is an "Idioteque" clone (or, quite possibly, an outtake), bu it's a
great clone for sure. When Thom sings "Get off my case", it sounds like he IS
packed like a sardine in a tin box. But then goes "Pyramid Song" and that's
the song I really like. Pete plays monotonous piano chords around some mystical
synths and sings nonsense stuff that sounds just fucking scary with his voice
that reaches the highest note and then falls to some kind of growl. A simply
gorgeous song. Even though it is a re-write of "The Tourist".
"Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" is a 100% filler. Being a "Kid A" clone, it actually
has everything bad that that song had. Stupid electronica beats, completely
forgettable samples and a robotic voice that sounds not only awful, but also
completely out of place. If somebody really likes it, I pity to him/her. Having
no taste is simply awful these times.
"You And Whose Army" completely rules. Thom is mumbling-bumbling some gibberish
stuff around some occasional guitar and piano notes. It all sounds like it was
recorded in 1968 by a bunch of weirdos who were very high on drugs. "I Might
Be Wrong", on the other hand, sounds just like Radiohead circa 1997 setted up
to some electronica. The song is very danceable and driving and that riff repeating
over and over makes me think that sooner or latter the guys will return to their
roots.
"Knives Out" also sounds like Radiohead of the past, but now it is setted up
to some Spanish guitar and Thom Yorke who sings almost without stopping at least
for a second. And lyrics are very strange. "So knives out/ Cook him up..." What
the hell is it? The same question I also asked to myself when I first heard
"Morning Bell/Amnesiac". It is the other version of "Morning Bell" from Kid
A, but it is much better. Slow, creepy and gorgeous. The original version can
kiss my ass.
"Dollars And Cents" may be a little bit overlong, but it has the best bassline
the band had since "The National Anthem". And if you listen carefully, you may
notice that THIS bassline is a rip-off of THAT bassline. Or maybe an outtake
or what? OK, enough about bass, 'cause the song rules!
"Hunting Bears" is a pintless two-minute guitar noodling. Atmospheric, maybe,
but lemme hear Metal Machine Music instead. However, it leads to the last two
tracks. Some people think they are pure crrap, some people think that they rule.
I think that these songs can easily appear in my top ten Radiohead songs of
all time. ESPECIALLY "Like Spinning Plates" - one of the most frightening songs
I have ever heard in my life. It begins with two minutes of backward loops that
set the atmosphere perfectly. nd then comes Mr. Yorke... You know, when he sings
that "Liiiiiiiiiike SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING Plaaaaaaaaates"
line, I'm in ecstasy. Plus, is it Mellotron that plays on it? The presence of
Mellotron in the song makes it cool automatically.
"Life In A Glass House" was, I feel, just an avant-garde atonal jazz jam, but
this guys made it to be a very cool, simple and memorable song (just like with
"The National Anthem"). Thom pens his best lyrics on the whole album and sings
the whole song like it is last moment of his life. Fat brass section that plays
some cross between "Requiem" and Miles Davis at the background only adds that
feeling to the song. Overall, a masterpiece.
But, however good the last two tracks are, they don't even come close to the
best track from Kid A - "How To Disappear Completely". But that's the only factor
in which Amnesiac loses when we compare it to Kid A. Go buy the sucker, it deserves
it.
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